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The Lord Ruler's perfect capital city, Luthadel, is doing the impossible: rebelling. Skaa half-breeds are being taught the power of Allomancy, something that the Lord Ruler's obligators said only existed in the nobility. The enslaved skaa, with their murderous benefactor, now fight back against a living god's oppression.

So, the Inquisition was formed. The nobles begin to fear assassination from all sides. The times of nobility Mistborn killing each other are over. The Steel Inquisitors look for aristocrat traitors and insurgent skaa, and the skaa try with all their strength to merely survive. The Lord Ruler's perfect Final Empire is slowly devolving into chaos.

Phyra Venture glided into the shop. Her retinue of silent skaa followed, catering to her every whim. One of the Skaa had a tray of olives and cheese in the event that she required a snack. Another had a leather folder he held clutched to his breast. Yet another carried a large chest, and yet others had fans and parasols simply waiting for her order.

Her dress was gold today, low cut enough to be unsuitable for public presentation a year ago. Her flamboyance was changing Luthadel fashion as other ladies tried to compete. The paints and powders that had been so carefully applied made her eyes seem twice as large and intent. In short, she was ravishing and flamboyant.

She made a small motion and the Skaa with the folder stepped forward and demanded to speak with the owner of this shop.

"Excuse me, sir," a deep voice said, bring Maks out of the trance he had been in while sewing crystals to the gown that was to belong to Lady Casuana. "There is a client asking for the owner, but Lan isn't here just now."

Maks nodded understandingly, "Of course. Thank you Natt. I'll attend to the client." He sighed a little as he set down the fiery red satin gown. It was nearly done, and he hated leaving it unfinished much longer. They would need to deliver it later that day.

But Maks knew he had a responsibility to all clients, and so he stood and brushed his clothes off before walking into the front room. The sight that met his eyes upon entering the room was... well, certainly different than most first impressions he got with clientele. The noblewoman stood amidst an entire retinue of skaa servants. Most only brought one or two into the shop with them. And the noblewoman herself was another story completely. Her dress was a rich gold color, and her makeup was done exquisitely. She looked as if she were on her way to a ball rather than shopping for a new gown.

Struggling to maintain a straight face and not gawk at the lady, Maks approached her, bowing low with respect. "My lady, I understand that you requested to see the owner of the shop," he straightened up, "My master, unfortunately is not here at the moment, but I am second in charge. How may I assist you?"

"Did my lady give you permission to address her? You will speak to me, and my Lady Venture will remain unmolested," The Skaa with the folder said. He waited for his lady's approving nod to continue.

"I have come for a dress for my Lady. One the likes of which Luthadel has never seen before." He started rummaging through a folder, pulling out sketches and patterns of a beautiful dress. The sketches were made on good paper with charcoal, and it was certainly a unique dress.

The bodice was tight, but had no straps to hold it up. The skirt, instead of flaring above the waist was tight around the hips and thighs, and revealed her ankles in the front. A daring dress, to be sure.

"The dress must be made of a thick creme silk with crystals arranged like so:" He pulled out yet another picture of the dress, front and back. The corset's laces were concealed, and the entire dress was covered in swirls of thread of gold and crystal.

There was also a pair of gloves needed to complete the ensemble. delicately embroidered.

All in all, a task which could very well take more than the three days remaining for the ball.

In all his time serving nobles, Maks had come across some that were extremely full of themselves and completely absorbed in their self importance. All of those others seemed to fade in comparison to what he was faced with now. Keeping his face straight and submissive was a battle when he was told not to address Lady Venture. Venture. Normally that would have been an amazing honor to serve one of the most important nobles in all of Luthadel, but in the current situation, Maks couldn't really appreciate it.

And then when the skaa before him started to pull out sketches, and patterns even, for the gown that the lady wanted made, Maks nearly forgot himself and voiced his protest. It was insulting that they would bring their own designs for the gown to a master tailor like himself. Insulting! Certainly Maks was always open to suggestions or requests from clients. He wanted to make sure they were completely satisfied with what they purchased from him, but being allowed to put his own touch on a gown was what kept people coming back to him. Any apprentice could follow a pattern provided to them, but only a true master could make a work of art out of fabric.

Maks bit his tongue, however. Talking back to this noblewoman probably wasn't a very good idea. So instead, he addressed the lead skaa, "We are certainly flattered that your lady has chosen our shop to come to for this gown, but I can't help but think that it may have been... more convenient for her to simply have her own tailor's make this for her. It is obvious that she already knows what she wants," he said, struggling to keep his tone level and respectful, "Our shop does not make gowns based on another's design."

"My lady's tailor is deceased. This was his final design. My lady would be more than willing to use your designs in the future, but she was very fond of her late tailor. You will, of course, be compensated handsomely." The Skaa waved forward the man with the chest.

He opened the lid, displaying what must have been thousands of boxings, More than Maks would earn for several weeks of business."My Lady is, of course, not insensible to your.. sensibilities, and should you wish to change the design slightly, she only asks that her previous tailor's vision be kept intact."

"My lady is also in need of some more 'intimate' wear. Her previous tailor was unable to design anything to fit under this gown before his demise. I have been led to believe that this is the only shop capable of such work"

EDIT: If you are in a thread with other people, and have something to add before someone else posts a reply, please use the edit function instead of doubleposting. Thank you. -Camille

Maks relaxed a little. As long as he could change some things he didn't quite like with the design they had presented him. He glanced at the chest full of boxings that they opened to show him. It was certainly far more than he would ever charge for a gown, but if they were willing to pay it, he was definitely willing to take it.

He nodded, "I'm sure I can manage that." Maks paused as the man continued. Something about needing undergarments made as well. Well, at least they were up front and honest about all of this. It would have been far more frustrating if they had tried to spring some of this on him during the middle of the project.

"Undergarments shouldn't be too difficult for us to custom make for the gown," he stated, "I'll need to take some measurements for the pieces though, and for the gown as well."

Maks took the parchment that the skaa had showed him and tucked them under his arm. "Is now a good time?"

Lady Phyra Venture smiled lustily. She walked behind the dressing curtain and started to undress. Several of her Skaa servants moved to help her out of the gown. MALE servants. Now that was an oddity that bordered on scandalous.

In due time, the dress was off, and she stood bare, arms extended for her measurement. The pride she had for such a body was certainly justified.

She gave a nod to her chief servant

"You may proceed," he directed.

In a whisper, he continued, "Make sure to touch and compliment her, sir. She would be very put out if you did not show you were attracted to her."

A blank stare was all that he could manage at the skaa that had been speaking to him. Maks stood there, trying to decide if the man had been joking or if he was, in fact, serious. Something told him that the man was dead serious. Maks glanced back at the noblewoman, and immediately turned back to the skaa, color rising to his cheeks.

"May I be so bold as to... request that her ladyship put on a shift while I take the measurements? It would be very much appreciated by myself and the other apprentices."

He licked his lips nervously concentrating very hard on the skaa before him. It wasn't that he hadn't seen a naked woman before, but... the entire situation was just uncomfortable for him. He didn't think that he ever had, nor ever would, experience something quite like this.

Phyra Venture laughed, a deep throaty laugh. But she nodded and her servants moved forward to oblige. The silk shift she adopted was thin, and molded to her so well, that it was hardly an improvement at all.

She spread her arms again fro the measurement, still chuckling.

She burned copper and zinc, and rioted the one emotion she was sure no man would ever realize was being rioted. She didn't focus the rioting on just Maks, either. She spread it to everyone in the shop.

Up until that day, Maks had thought that he had seen the extreme self-centeredness that some nobles possessed. Everything he had seen, however, was completely overshadowed by Lady Venture. Certainly he had heard rumors about her, but as his role with the rebellion didn't require him to attend balls, the only interaction he got with nobles was in the shop, and that was only if they came to shop there. This... woman, for lack of a better word, wanted attention. She wanted to be fawned over, lusted after, desired. And Maks could was certainly beginning to feel all of those as he turned back to the young woman, who now wore a thin silk shift.

He shook his head, hoping to clear his thoughts, but didn't succeed much. Why was this woman so much more attractive to him than any other he had come in contact with? Certainly she wasn't the most beautiful he had ever seen, but his body seemed to want her more. In fact, it almost seemed unnatural. A thought occurred to him. It couldn't be that simple though.

Reaching within himself, Maks stoked his copper to life and immediately felt some of the overbearing feelings he had been experiencing vanish. The woman had been manipulating his emotions! So Lady Venture was an allomancer, eh? Well, two could play at that game. He cleared his throat, and took a deep steadying breath, amazed at how much different he felt now that he was protected inside his coppercloud.

With tape measure in hand, he stepped cautiously forward. Maks began his work, doing his best to avoid making eye contact or to let his eyes linger on any one part of the lady's body for too long.

Phyra Venture squirmed slightly as she was measured. She was too ticklish not to. The skaa set to work with burning eyes, but soon the fire in them dimmed. It was like he could block out her zinc. But that was impossible, he was just a skaa.

As he worked, and the fire dimmed from his eyes, Phyra became sulky. Filthy Skaa, did he not realize who he was measuring? What he was measuring? Did he find her no more attractive than any skaa woman?

His fingers were almost wooden as they held the tape measure, his eyes, the dull unintelligent eyes of an animal.

Maybe it was her hair, dyed too dark. Maybe... NO! She was the pinnacle of beauty, and this skaa was simply an animal. He would sew her dress as a mule pulled a barge. Without thought. Hopefully with skill, though. She didn't want to have to kill this Skaa for his lack of taste and refinement.

By the time he finished, she was in a foul mood. She snapped her fingers, and her servants came to clothe her.

After making a few more notations to the designs that the lead skaa had handed him, Maks forced a gracious smile, "Her Ladyship will not be disappointed with our work. The gown will accent her already stunning figure perfectly." A little flattery never hurt.

"Does Lady Venture have any other requests? Perhaps she would like to try on a few of our other gowns to see if there is anything that she finds appealing?"

The skaa with the folder looked to his lady adoringly before replying.

"She also needs a pair of garters that can function as sheaths and pockets, you understand. But besides the underclothes? Not at this time. My lady will await the dress before she purchases anything else. Should she like the gown, you will receive all her patronage."

The old skaa looked back to his lady, who pouted noncommitally. He nodded and began counting out coins. Soon enough, 2,000 boxings were placed on the counter.

"I bid you good day, sir. Five times this amount will be paid on delivery if that is acceptable to you."

The Skaa nodded as if there could be no possible reply, and followed Lady Venture out of the establishment.